Indian fans were in raptures when the PA announcer said “New bowler MS DHONI” after the latter decided to bring himself into the attack, looking at the assistance his seam bowlers were getting at Cardiff.

The ovation that Dhoni received was akin to those reserved for a Merv Hughes at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and it only took him two balls to make an impact.

The ball swung in late and hit Mahela Jayawardene full on his pad. The crowd pleaded as did Dhoni, but umpire Aleem Dar stood his ground, thought long and hard, before raising his finger.

Dhoni’s teammates were more excited than the captain. They ran in from all directions to congratulate him. In between the celebrations, Jayawardene sought a review of the decision, and unfortunately, Dar’s decision was overturned.

Dhoni underwent similar agony in the first Test against England in 2011 when DRS denied him the prized wicket of Kevin Pietersen at Lord’s. Dhoni’s decision to roll his arm around surprised many of the fans at the venue, but it must be remembered that the captain is no stranger to bowling.

He spends close to 30 mintues bowling during the team’s net sessions. It may be recalled that even after India had thumped Australia in the first Test in Chennai earlier in the year, Dhoni sent down a few overs to Ravindra Jadeja in the nets to ensure the batsmen got practice.

His decision to bowl on Thursday was further indication of Dhoni’s sharp mind and his ability to think outside the box. One went back to what he said a long time ago: “Sometimes I just have to go with my gut feel, it doesn’t always work out but I have to believe myself”.

The crowd might not have seen Dhoni wield his willow but were certainly entertained by Dhoni the bowler. One member from the crowd, Sunny Wadhwa from Newcastle said: “Everyone has watched Dhoni bat at the ground but we were lucky to watch him bowl”.